Her excitement showed as she welcomed close to 1,100 new students to the brand new school.

"For us, it's just a great day in Pike Road," Freeman said.

"I mean the first day of school is always exciting, but this is just extra exciting because it is making history," said Amy Strickland, a mom of one of the students. "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for the vision, for working so hard to make it come true, for giving us as parents the opportunity to bring our kids to an innovative, but still fun, learning environment."

While the anticipation has come to an end, Dr. Freeman points out that this is just the beginning for her students.

"We have 177 school days," Freeman says. "We really want every child to be the best version of themselves, and so we're really going to tap into their interests, what their love is, their passion for learning."

Many Pike Road Patriots are looking forward to playing sports.

The school will have middle school football, cross country, volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball, boys and girls soccer teams, and a cheerleader squadthis year.

Pike Road is open to kindergartners through 8th graders, and it will add on a grade each year until it goes all the way through 12th grade.